1. Field of the Invention
The present invention is related to vehicle security and, in particular, to a method and system for protecting a vehicle data transmission bus from intrusions and bugs at a hardware level.
2. Description of the Related Art
Today, vehicle safety has taken a completely new meaning due to the fact that control systems of modern cars are becoming increasingly autonomous. Almost all systems within a vehicle are now controlled by electronics: engine, brakes, cruise control, air bags, climate control, windshield wipers, etc. Many modern cars are equipped with so called “start buttons”—instead of turning the ignition key, a driver can press the button to start the engine. Without complex electronics, it would be impossible to implement all of these features.
Nevertheless, modern car systems have a serious drawback—hardware vulnerability. Before, all risks were caused by external or technological factors, but now the vehicle itself is a source of danger. Among the most obvious threats, modern cars are able to interact with external data carriers via various wired/wireless technologies (USB-port, Bluetooth, Wi-Fi, 3G). Such interactions can endanger the internal vehicle network, making it vulnerable to cyber attacks.
Like any automatic control system, vehicle controller area network (CAN) bus system has its vulnerabilities. Recent studies into this field have revealed a variety of possible attacks on a CAN bus, aimed at intruding and affecting control over a vehicle. According to the study by Dennis K. Nilsson, electronic control modules (ECMs) of a car can be divided into five categories based on their control areas: transmission, vehicle safety, comfort, information/entertainment and telematic systems.
Another classification divides ECMs into four levels according to their possible impact on car control safety. Finally, the researcher ranks safety threats according to the damage they can cause, which is then used to classify attacks. Currently, there are no systems that are able to protect the vehicle data transmission bus from intrusion and tampering at a hardware level.
Accordingly, a method and system for protecting a vehicle data transmission bus from intrusion attacks and bugs is desired.